Step-by-Step Guide: How to Structure a High-Scoring IB English IO
- Dig deep and think:
- If you don’t have a clear structure, even great ideas can get lost. The IO isn’t just about what you say, it’s about how you present it. A solid step-by-step plan helps you:
- Keep your argument on track so you don’t wander off-topic
- Balance both texts instead of over-analysing one and rushing the other
- Show off your analysis clearly, not in a messy info-dump
- Build a logical flow, which makes your points easier to follow
- Tick the boxes for organisation and development, which directly boosts your marks
- If you don’t have a clear structure, even great ideas can get lost. The IO isn’t just about what you say, it’s about how you present it. A solid step-by-step plan helps you:
Basically, structure makes your thinking look smart, and that’s half the game.
Step 1: Understand the Task
- You are preparing a 10-minute presentation focused on a global issue that is evident in both works.
- For English Literature: Analyze two literary works (one must be a work in translation)
- Work in translation is basically a text that was originally written in a language other than English, but has been translated into English so you can study and analyze it in class
- For Lang & Lit: Analyze one literary text and one non-literary body of work (e.g. advertising, political cartoons, speeches, visual media).
- You will be assessed on how well you analyze, organise your ideas, use language, and engage with the global issue.
- For English Literature: Analyze two literary works (one must be a work in translation)
- Always refer to the official assessment criteria.
- Your goal is to demonstrate deep understanding of both extracts and whole texts, while maintaining a strong, sustained focus on the global issue.
IO Assessment Criteria
| Criterion | Level 1-2 | Level 3-4 | Level 5-6 | Level 7-8 | Level 9-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion A: knowledge, understanding and interpretation | The oral shows little knowledge and understanding of the texts. Interpretations are rarely relevant to the global issue and rarely supported by references to the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows some knowledge and understanding of the texts. Interpretations are somewhat relevant to the global issue and sometimes supported by references to the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows adequate knowledge and understanding of texts. Interpretations are generally relevant to the global issue and generally supported by references to the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows good knowledge and understanding of texts. Interpretations are very relevant to the global issue and frequently supported by appropriate references to the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows perceptive knowledge and understanding of the texts. Interpretations are consistently relevant to the global issue and effectively supported by convincing references to the extracts, the work and the body of work. |
| Criterion B: Analysis and evaluation | The oral shows little analysis and evaluation of how the authors present the global issue through authorial choices in the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows some analysis and evaluation of how authors present the global issue through authorial choices in the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows adequate analysis and evaluation of how the authors present the global issue through authorial choices in the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows good analysis and evaluation of how the authors present the global issue through authorial choices in the extracts, the work and the body of work. | The oral shows insightful analysis and evaluation of how authors present the global issue through authorial choices in the extracts, the work and the body of work. |
| Criterion C: Coherence, balance, focus and organisation | The oral shows little coherence, balance, focus and organisation. | The oral shows some coherence, balance, focus and organisation. | The oral shows adequate coherence, balance, focus and organisation. | The oral shows good coherence, balance, focus and organisation. | The oral shows effective coherence, balance, focus and organisation. |
| Criterion D: Language | The student’s use of vocabulary, tone, syntax, style and terminology is rarely accurate, varied and effective. | The student’s use of vocabulary, tone, syntax, style and terminology is sometimes accurate, varied and effective. | The student’s use of vocabulary, tone, syntax, style and terminology is generally accurate, varied and effective. | The student’s use of vocabulary, tone, syntax, style and terminology is frequently accurate, varied and effective. | The student’s use of vocabulary, tone, syntax, style and terminology is convincingly accurate, varied and effective. |
Step 2: Choose a Strong Global Issue
- Be globally relevant (seen across cultures/contexts).
- Have a significant social or personal impact.
- Be clearly traceable in both of your works.
“The silencing of women’s voices in patriarchal societies” could work well for A Thousand Splendid Sunsand A Doll’s House.
Tip- Make the issue specific but flexible enough to allow a range of techniques and ideas to be explored across both texts.
- Try forming it as a “tension” or “struggle” (e.g. between truth and illusion, or freedom and conformity).
Step 3: Select and Annotate Your Extracts
- Pick one extract from each work (max. 40 lines or equivalent), ensuring:
- It directly connects to the global issue.
- It contains rich literary or stylistic techniques for close analysis.
- It’s positioned at a significant turning point, moment of tension, or character revelation.
- For 1984, you might use the scene where Winston writes “Freedom is the freedom to say two plus two make four”.
- For A Streetcar Named Desire, consider Blanche’s monologue about her past.
- Annotate with technique–effect–purpose in mind.
- Think beyond just what happens: How does the author shape meaning through choices?
Step 4: Identify Key Ideas for Wide Analysis
- Your wide analysis looks at how the global issue is developed across the entire text. This includes:
- Character arcs, structural developments, themes, or recurring motifs.
- Authorial critiques of society, power, gender, justice, etc.
- In Persepolis, Satrapi uses visual symbols (e.g. the veil, fragmented panels) throughout to explore repression.
- In The Crucible, Miller uses groupthink and hysteria as recurring motifs to show how fear overrides ethics.
- Choose one or two key ideas for each work.
- You don’t need to summarize the whole text, just zoom in on what best supports your global issue.
Step 5: Choose a Structure
Choose between two effective options:
Structure 1: Blocked
- Intro
- Text 1: Close → Wide
- Close
- Point 1
- Point 2
- Wide
- Point 1
- Point 2
- Close
- Text 2: Close → Wide
- Close
- Point 1
- Point 2
- Wide
- Point 1
- Point 2
- Close
